Travelography #133: Crocs, Scales and Greenhouse Gasses

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 27 October 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• 25 Non-Cliché Travel Songs (With Videos)

  Forget the tired tracks you’re used to hearing. Here are 25 inspiring songs that will have you hitting the road. - from the BraveNewTraveler blog

• Croc terrorises north Queensland, Australia, tourist mecca

  A major north Queensland tourist island is demanding compensation from the state government for dumping a croc on its beach. The government research program that unleashed the crocodile on Magnetic Island will be reconsidered,...

• Weak Australian dollar not enough to tempt tourists

  Rivals such as Cathay Pacific have been boosting flights into Australia to reduce the impact of falling demand, especially for corporate travel, on other routes....a 34 per cent fall in the Australian dollar against the greenback since July had also offset most of the benefits to Qantas of a recent fall in jet fuel prices.

• Reach for the sky: aviation emissions in UK Climate Bill

  The UK government has backed down on aviation and shipping, agreeing to include both in the Climate Change Bill's 80% emissions reduction targets. They had planned to let the industry grow as much as it liked while cracking down on other sectors, but changed their mind when faced with a major backbench rebellion. So in theory aviation emissions will have to reduce by 80% - and, as there are no sustainable fuels in the pipeline, that should mean a lot fewer flights.

• TSA likely to ease restrictions on liquids in 2009

  By the end of 2010, passengers should be able to keep liquids as they go through checkpoints... The restrictions are also likely to be eased in airports of other countries that adopted similar liquid restrictions two years ago after authorities disrupted an alleged plot to bomb trans-Atlantic flights with liquid-based explosives,...

• Inspections show inaccurate airline scales may cost travelers money

  Some airlines, including Miramar-based Spirit Airlines — whose scales at Fort Lauderdale passed inspection only 53 percent of the time and therefore ranked among the worst performers — allow their ticket agents to waive the fee for passengers with baggage weighing 1 or 2 pounds over the limit.

Travelography #132: Travel Downturn Hits NZ and A380 comes to LAX

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 20 October 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Gloomy weather on New Zealand's tourist front

  The financial crisis has hit tourism - one of New Zealand's biggest earners - causing visitor numbers to plummet last month. Statistics New Zealand figures show the number of international tourists fell 6.6 per cent...

• Cancelled cruises bring loss to New Zealand and Australia

  Celebrity Cruises, the company which owns the 2038-passenger Celebrity Millennium, has cut Australia and New Zealand from its 2009-10 itinerary, choosing to focus on northern hemisphere destinations. High fuel costs and high airfare costs for passengers were reasons for the cancellations,...

• Recession may mean opportunities to some in the travel industry

  Leading hospitality, timeshare and fractional leaders all across the country express concerns over business during these hard times. However, they believe some sectors will stay afloat and find opportunities in deep recession.

• First A380 service between Australia and the US west coast begins for Qantas

  The Qantas A380 is configured with 450 seats in four cabins – 14 in First Class, 72 in Business Class, 32 in Premium Economy, and 332 in Economy Class – with interiors designed by world renowned Australian industrial designer and Qantas creative director Marc Newson.

• Study reveals what we love, and hate, about flying

  89 per cent of Taiwanese, 87 per cent of Americans, 84 per cent of Thais and 83 per cent of British travellers agreed they would appreciate a seat swap if they were less than thrilled with where they were asked to park their posteriors.

Travelography #131: Tourism and The Economic Meltdown - Part 2

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 13 October 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Tibet slashes tourism ticket prices after riots

  In the first half of the year, 340,000 people visited Tibet. That's down 69 percent from the same period last year. Tourism almost came to a standstill after a riot broke out on March 14.

• Tourists to tip less as they feel the squeeze

  Penny conscious tourists are now refusing to tip waiters, taxi drivers and hotel staff when dissatisfied and 13 per cent say they'll definitely be tipping less and less often, no matter what the service, to make their travel money stretch further this holiday.

• Travel industry gets flexible to calm clients' money fears

  Under the new rules for fall 2009 cruises, customers will be able to cancel without penalty up to 45 days from sailing date instead of 75 days. They'll also be able to reserve a cabin with a 5% deposit instead of 10%. They'll have seven days to pay instead of three. ... the policy adjustments a "smart move" that can calm clients' nerves about committing to a cruise that can cost up to $8,000 a couple.

• For airlines, oil is proving a two-edged sword

  While cheaper crude breathes new hope into airlines, it carries other penalties. Oil is down because demand is grinding lower. OPEC just slashed 100,000 barrels a day from its 2009 demand growth forecast, citing shaky financial markets and mounting evidence that the global economy is in recession. Included in the downturn is a drop in travel.

• Credit crisis threatens New Orleans' recovery

  It's the commercial sector — privately funded hotels, condos and new-business development — that would be waylaid by a contraction of credit. Compounding the quandary: No one knows how badly the $5 billion-a-year, bread-and-butter tourism industry — the metro area's largest employer and generator of an average of more than $250 million a year in tax revenue — will be hit by belt-tightening consumers.

• OAG revises 4th quarter analysis of global airline activity

  The US domestic market will account for 21.4 million of the cutback in available seats, or 46% of the global decline and a staggering 59% of the global drop in frequencies with 265,000 fewer flights.
  
  

Travelography #129: Airlines Flying Above Financial Crisis

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 29 September 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

• Low Gas Prices Help Airline Stocks Take Off

  Airlines also attracted investors by retiring older, less fuel-efficient planes and cutting capacity to support higher ticket prices. Passengers seemed willing to pay additional fees for everything from luggage to food to extra leg room, which added millions to airlines' revenue.

• As International Airfares Soar, Americans Stay in the U.S.

  Growth of international passenger traffic worldwide slowed to a five-year low in July and dropped further in August, according to the International Air Transport Association, which represents 230 airlines.

• Airlines add service and amenities to Asian routes

  ...996 nonstop flights a week were scheduled in the third quarter of 2008 from the United States to Asian countries, more than ever before. Los Angeles is the most popular departure city from the United States, with 180 flights a week. Narita Airport in Tokyo is the most frequent destination, with 380 arrivals a week.
• The give and take of travel

  Bargain in good faith The 50 cents you save may give you pride because you "beat down" the salesperson, but you may have also robbed that person of extra food or prevented his or her children from purchasing school books or a mandatory school uniform.

Travelography #120: Europe's Airline Woes

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Stories discussed in this podcast are from the Travelography Twitter Blog for the week of 21 July 2008. This podcast is also available at Blubrry.com and Travelgeography.info.

1. Germany | Pilot walkouts ground nearly 1,000 Lufthansa flights

   Meanwhile the German division of British no-frills airline easyJet said it hoped to cash in if Lufthansa is hit by lengthy strikes. "A strike at Lufthansa would of course be just fine by us,"...

2. Lanzarote, Turkey - close enough?

   The family had booked an all-inclusive holiday in a five-star hotel in the Canary Islands and were supposed to be flying into Arrecife, Lanzarote. But instead they found themselves in Bodrum airport, Turkey where they then had to pay a £10 visa charge...

3. World's most expensive tourist attractions

   A family of four would have to pay 549.30 pounds if they wanted to take part in all 10 activities in London, compared with 386 pounds in Paris, 376pounds in New York and 216 pounds in Rome.

4. Airlines deliberately ignoring safety regulations and getting away with it

   ...the majority of European pilots do not always report defects as and when they occur. They are delayed until it is more convenient for the airlines to carry out repairs.

5. International travel booming despite oil prices

   A report commissioned by Amadeus also showed that growing global migration would fuel thirst for international travel. Many migrants remain strongly connected to their country of origin with many reasons to return, such as visiting family and friends...